Drew Brees

While working on Thursday's article on Lardarius Webb, I talked to the Ravens cornerback's coach at Nicholls State. Jeremy Atwell was the linebackers coach for the Colonels before getting promoted to defensive coordinator during Webb's senior year in 2008. Atwell, who is still the defensive coordinator there, said Webb's popularity has grown to the point where among Atwell's current players, Webb is more popular than New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. “I think if they had to choose between Drew Brees and Lardarius Webb coming to visit, I think more people would want to see Lardarius,” Atwell said.

Proved he deserves it Sam Farmer Los Angeles Times Tom Brady. Drew Brees. Aaron Rodgers. Peyton Manning. Pick an elite quarterback. Joe Flacco deserves that kind of money. He proved it in the playoffs, throwing 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions. He proved it last year, when the Ravens would have made the Super Bowl but for Lee Evans dropping a TD pass that was in his hands. Flacco is the unquestioned leader of the franchise, and a guy who has won at least one playoff game in each of his five seasons.

NEW ORLEANS - Saints coach Sean Payton carefully avoided superlatives, even as his team chased perfection in bolting to a 13-0 start. As the Patriots learned two years ago, it's not about pursuing 19-0, it's about pursuing victory in the final game. Maybe when this season is over, a three-game skid to end the regular season, including home losses to the Cowboys and Buccaneers, will turn out to be the springboard his Saints needed entering the playoffs. Momentum can be a fleeting thing, but the Saints grabbed firm control of it Saturday when they crushed the Cardinals 45-14.

I'm not trolling for any sympathy, since I got to spend the whole week in New Orleans covering the buildup to the Super Bowl, but it hasn't been all happy hours and fancy "Hurricane" drinks for this former party animal. The only party I got invited to was the media party last Tuesday night, and every fool with a credential gets invited to that. Some of my friends got into the Rolling Stone (Magazine) party, which must have been rockin'. The Playboy and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit parties also are very hot tickets.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The talent scouts who grade high school football prospects track their picks through college and into the NFL. The touts make pronouncements about their ability to gaze into the future, but did any project Drew Brees as a Heisman Trophy candidate and a first-round draft choice four years ago? "How hot a commodity was I?" Brees said in early August, echoing a question. "I was cold." Purdue wants its first Big Ten title since 1967, and Brees is ready for one last season of outrageous passing statistics.

ESPN continued its series of NFL positional power rankings today with its list of the league's top quarterbacks, and Ravens QB Joe Flacco finished tied for 10th with Cowboys QB Tony Romo. The rankings were compiled by ESPN's seven divisional bloggers plus senior writer and noted Flacco backer John Clayton. Flacco, who completed 62.6 of his passes in 2010 for 3,622 yards and 25 touchdowns, was ranked as high as ninth on the list of one blogger (Bill Williamson) and was 10th on three other lists.

DAVIE, Fla. - - A lot is made of the New Orleans Saints' passing game, and rightly so, considering quarterback Drew Brees has shattered team and NFL records this season. But the Saints' ground game is no laughing matter. New Orleans averages 131.6 rushing yards per game, 4.5 yards per carry this season, and has scored 21 of its 64 touchdowns on the ground. Part of the reason the Saints' rushing attack might get overlooked is that three tailbacks - Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell and Reggie Bush - share the workload.

"They talk about how a tie is like kissing your sister? Well, I love him to death, but I still wanted to beat him. Man, I wanted that game." Tommy Maddox, Steelers quarterback, on facing coach Dan Reeves who drafted him in Denver. "I would have put my 401(k) and everything else that I have on the fact that our defense would stop them from scoring a touchdown on that last drive." Muhsin Muhammad, Panthers receiver, after Saints scored late for the win. "I'm still the quarterback. It's like in baseball when a relief pitcher comes in. That's how I look at it."

NAME: Maggie OWNER: John and Debbie Miles HOW THEY MET: We saw an ad in The Baltimore Sun and went to visit the litter. Maggie walked up to John, curled up into a ball at his feet and went to sleep. That was that! AGE: 2 HOME: Marriottsville BREED: Goldendoodle BEST TRICK: She likes bringing in the morning paper so she wakes us up barking when she hears it thrown in our driveway at 5:30 a.m. FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Chasing squirrels FAVORITE FOOD: Everything we are eating, but especially watermelon FUNNIEST MOMENT: Began growling and barking at the TV when she saw an ad with Drew Brees (obviously not a Saints fan!

The Super Bowl matchup is set, and it's a game you're going to want to see. In a battle of superstar quarterbacks, all-but-certain Hall of Famer Peyton Manning will lead the Indianapolis Colts against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Feb. 7 in Miami. The Colts will be trying to win their second Lombardi Trophy in the past four years. Meanwhile, the Saints will make history just by stepping onto the field at Sun Life Stadium; this team is the first in franchise history to advance this far in the playoffs.

Defenses will adjust Aaron Wilson Baltimore Sun It was a masterful debut for Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III, practically perfect as he outdueled Drew Brees. So, what's next for the dynamic rookie? Defenses will make some adjustments to try to curtail his impact. They'll study his tendencies to find a hole in his game, if one even exists. Once there's a larger body of work of Griffin III, someone will devise a way to at least contain him. Remember, there are better defenses out there than the suspect Saints.

While working on Thursday's article on Lardarius Webb, I talked to the Ravens cornerback's coach at Nicholls State. Jeremy Atwell was the linebackers coach for the Colonels before getting promoted to defensive coordinator during Webb's senior year in 2008. Atwell, who is still the defensive coordinator there, said Webb's popularity has grown to the point where among Atwell's current players, Webb is more popular than New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. “I think if they had to choose between Drew Brees and Lardarius Webb coming to visit, I think more people would want to see Lardarius,” Atwell said.

By Connor Letourneau, The Baltimore Sun and By Connor Letourneau, The Baltimore Sun | July 13, 2012

As Joe Flaccohopes for a major extension in the coming months, another big-name quarterback has reportedly reached an agreement of his own. And it's record breaking. Drew Brees will sign a five-year, $100 million contract with the New Orleans Saints that will guarantee $40 million in 2012, according to ESPN. The extension involves an NFL-record $60 million in guaranteed money. So what does that mean for Flacco? It's difficult to tell. Flacco has one year left on his five-year, $11.9 million rookie deal, and Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has said he hopes to sign him to a long-term contract extension before the 2012 season.

Joe Flacco became a father last week, forcing the Ravens quarterback to miss the final two days of the team's mandatory minicamp. He and wife, Dana, are the proud parents of Stephen Flacco, who weighs eight pounds. A decent amount of both ink and bandwidth was used up around Baltimore on the birth of Flacco's first son, but Flacco won't be the only high-profile NFL quarterback who will be experiencing the joys of fatherhood for the first time during the 2012 season. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo became a father in April and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his wife are expecting their first child later this year . But apparently there is at least one random Ravens fan who believes that Flacco's game will be thrown off this season by the quarterback's newborn baby boy. At least that was the premise of Kevin Cowherd's column in Monday's newspaper . What's that you say?

For Thursday's newspaper, I began a three-part series called “Tweaking the Ravens” and I started by tweaking the offense. A big chunk of the analysis piece ( you can find it here ) was about the importance of continuity and stability for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who took a step forward in the team's recent postseason run. That's not to say Flacco is without flaws. He can improve in many areas, which says a lot about his potential. Based on some numbers crunched by Pro Football Focus, a site that got a lot of traction among NFL writers this past year, one area he and new quarterbacks Jim Caldwell can focus on is how Flacco fares when pressured.

NAME: Maggie OWNER: John and Debbie Miles HOW THEY MET: We saw an ad in The Baltimore Sun and went to visit the litter. Maggie walked up to John, curled up into a ball at his feet and went to sleep. That was that! AGE: 2 HOME: Marriottsville BREED: Goldendoodle BEST TRICK: She likes bringing in the morning paper so she wakes us up barking when she hears it thrown in our driveway at 5:30 a.m. FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Chasing squirrels FAVORITE FOOD: Everything we are eating, but especially watermelon FUNNIEST MOMENT: Began growling and barking at the TV when she saw an ad with Drew Brees (obviously not a Saints fan!

I'm not trolling for any sympathy, since I got to spend the whole week in New Orleans covering the buildup to the Super Bowl, but it hasn't been all happy hours and fancy "Hurricane" drinks for this former party animal. The only party I got invited to was the media party last Tuesday night, and every fool with a credential gets invited to that. Some of my friends got into the Rolling Stone (Magazine) party, which must have been rockin'. The Playboy and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit parties also are very hot tickets.

The Ravens' decision to replace quarterback Trent Dilfer with Elvis Grbac after Dilfer steered the team to its only Super Bowl title was arguably one of the biggest follies in franchise history. And according to Adam Rank of NFL.com, Grbac was one of the biggest free-agent quarterback busts in NFL history, too. In a list published yesterday on NFL.com , Rank ranked the Ravens' acquisition of Grbac in 2001 as the second worst free-agent quarterback signing in league history.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco appeared on "The Scott Van Pelt Show" on Wednesday, and he talked about a bunch of things with fill-in host Doug Gottlieb, including January's playoff loss to the Steelers, the additions of Lee Evans and Ricky Williams and even the improper benefits scandal down at Miami. But Flacco's assessment of where he thinks he stands in the pantheon of NFL quarterbacks will surely get everyone worked up around here if the message boards and talk radio phone lines aren't already on fire.

ESPN continued its series of NFL positional power rankings today with its list of the league's top quarterbacks, and Ravens QB Joe Flacco finished tied for 10th with Cowboys QB Tony Romo. The rankings were compiled by ESPN's seven divisional bloggers plus senior writer and noted Flacco backer John Clayton. Flacco, who completed 62.6 of his passes in 2010 for 3,622 yards and 25 touchdowns, was ranked as high as ninth on the list of one blogger (Bill Williamson) and was 10th on three other lists.